Ninja Nonsense
by PretiBurdi
Summary: In which most citizens of Yu Yu Hakusho are ninjas. The two powerful ninja clans -Clan Urameshi and Clan Masho- are rivals. They meet at the midway point between their respective villages to do battle whenever it suits them -and it suits them often-. However, there just so happens to be a village at their battleground, a village where plucky Amai lives. 2-3 shot
1. Introductory Nonsense

**Well, this here is part 1! I hope you enjoy! Really, truly, thanks so much for the positive reviews and follows and such! It really means a lot to me. I get so into writing them that I worry these short things won't be good enough so I get nervous and it just takes longer. I hope you enjoy this in the meantime! So pretty much it's just like Naruto; but with YYH. Amai lives in a non-ninja village called Shino and the two ninja villages featured (Urameshi and Masho) are named for obvious reasons... Enjoy please! :) **

There was a lot that citizen Amai Nagori disliked about where she lived. For starters, the forest around them was pretty scary. Secondly, there wasn't much to do on days off. Thirdly, and most importantly, Amai lived in a town that was directly in between two ninja villages.

Amai greatly disliked useless fighting. What she disliked even more so was that often these two rival ninja villages brought their fight on neutral ground. That neutral ground being her home village of Shino. Every once in a while she'd be walking home from the grocery store or from gathering vegetables from near the outskirts of the woods when suddenly her village became the epicenter of some stupid ninja nonsense.

It just so happened that today was one of those stupid-ninja-nonsense-days.

Amai heard the crash of battle before she even woke up. Sitting up quickly, with frustration rather than worry, she peered through her open window. A great cloud of dust was being kicked up. Enough so that she angrily shut her window before rolling out of bed and into the bathroom to get ready for the day. Better put on her chores' clothes, rather than the cute dress she'd been planning on. It was obviously going to be a dirty day.

Ducking her head under her sink, Amai let her damp hair fall past her shoulders and rest on the shoulders of her crop-topped t-shirt. Her baggy sweatpants had only one hole in them (on the left knee) and were otherwise relatively clean. Her sneakers, on the other hand, were quite covered in dirt, mud, grass, paint, etc. They were a testament to all the hard work she had to do once the damn ninjas had cleared out.

A quick check in the mirror and Amai ran down the steps and outside to see the battle unfold. She quickly found herself sighing and crossing her arms; already the house next to her was covered in paint. A ninja from the Masho, named Gama, had a jutsu involving paint and it was a bitch to clean. Luckily, those inside the house were fine and they waved at Amai as she walked down the street. She hated seeing her neighbors' shoulders set in such a way- slumped, or even weary looking, as if they shouldn't even bother cleaning up. Amai admitted that it often seemed like this ninja rivalry would never end, but she had hopes that it would soon. Or she'd put a stop to it herself.

Grumbling to herself she walked down the street to get breakfast. To her left, across down, a bright light erupted and a loud crash shortly followed. Great- that's where the single rebuilt play ground was. Now where was she supposed to take her younger brother and sister? Behind her came a cold wind and she just knew that part of her house would be covered in snow and icicles by the time she came back. Another ninja from Masho had a way with ice, whereas one ninja from Urameshi used plants as his weapon. Amai hated his green creations, however. They were often chilling in nature, as much as the ice was.

Regretting her cropped top but determined to make the best of her day, Amai continued to the convenience store, tossed down a couple of coins and grabbed a breakfast drink. When she came back outside, she walked into a tornado. A mini-one, of course, but it still knocked her down. Her first concern was her drink which she had luckily not opened yet. Her next concern was her skinned elbow. Inspecting it, she decided her limbs had seen better days anyway and ignored it. She looked around her, knowing that if she was near such little wind-offspring she would be near the most dangerous ninja in both groups.

A black cloaked figure, presumably the one who had tossed the tornado, paused in his attacks. He was perched on the roof of a house that had seen better days. Amai narrowed her eyes at the figure, reeling her arm back and whipping her breakfast drink as hard as she could. Her intended target raised his hands defensively as the drink sailed towards him. As it went straight towards him, Amai shouted angrily.

"Take your damn fight elsewhere! People are just trying to _live_ here!" she stomped her foot on the dirt road and watched her drink hit the guy's leg.

It didn't even break open. It fell to the ground with a small thunk, further infuriating Amai. Cursing wildly, Amai stomped her foot again just as an explosion erupted. A ball of blue light had hurtled from the other end of the street. Amai covered her eyes with her hands against the piercing light. The hairs on her arms stood on end and her nose tingled. As the explosion rushed around her, something lifted her from the ground.

She left one poorly-tied sneaker behind. Gravity tugged on her toes as she was pulled up and away, in a manner quite unlike being next to an explosion. Her ears were ringing a little bit and she didn't dare uncover her face.

"Well, aren't you a wee little thing, hm?"

Amai removed her hands from her face, shocked to realize that someone was holding her. She found herself held snugly against someone's chest – no. Not just someone. One of those damn Masho ninjas!

Struggling, Amai pushed against the ninja. "Let me go, dammit!" she gasped as she looked around her. "And put me back on the ground! NOW."

More than a little ashamed of the panic that had flowed into her voice, Amai held in a more-embarrassing scream as she saw they were not only high above the ground, but floating. More damn ninja nonsense.

"I jus' saved your scrawny little neck, lass!" the voice was heavily accented and slightly frustrated sounding. "An' after ya threw a water bottle at me! I call that pretty damn fair of me, thank ya very much!"

Amai couldn't contain her rage. No longer was she concerned with the floating. All she cared about was what was FAIR.

"Fair? _Fair_?! Wanna know what's not fair? You damn stupid ninjas fighting in my cute little town and tearing it to pieces whenever you freaking feel like it! Wanna know what's pretty damn fair of _me_?!" Amai reached up and tugged the hood back from the guy's head, grabbed his ears, and pulled. "It's pretty damn _fair_ that I don't freaking kill you on the spot! I may not be a ninja, but I am _pissed_, and that's damn near close!"

"_Ow_, lass! Leave me ears alone! They're big enough as it is!"

"Not until you take your stupid ninja buddies and get the hell out of here and stop destroying my town!"

"We ain't destroying your town-"

At this point, Amai clapped her hands over his ears and made him look down at the wreckage from the opposing ninja's blast. He was quiet a moment and was about to open his mouth when someone hollered at them from across the way.

"You gonna sit there with your new girlfriend or are you gonna _fucking fight me you Irish bastard!_"

"I toldja, I'm not Irish! I'm just from the North – lots of places have a North!"

Amai grumbled, finally taking a moment to peer at the man holding her as the two stupid ninjas tossed insults back and forth. He had rather unruly red hair. It was brighter than blood and it seemed to rustle without wind, as if it had a mind of its own. His eyes seemed to match the sky: clear, blue, sparkling like the day hides the stars. Before she could help it, she noticed the muscles in his arms which were still holding her close, despite her vicious attacks.

"Why don't you come over here and make me?!"

"Ah'd be more than happy ta!"

"_Would you both please shut up_." Amai said with such a savage tone that even the young man across the way paused to look at her. "Take your fight elsewhere. And put me the hell down! I don't wanna listen to you idiots fighting anymore! And while you're at it, put me down next to my shoe-"

"Who the hell are you?" the guy across the way leapt over the road and landed casually on the rooftop nearest the still-floating ginger. His black hair was awry, what with the battling, but his eyes were focused and determined. "Why're you interrupting our fight?"

"Oh, so sorry to have been getting breakfast when you decided to blow the street up with your fancy ninja fuckery!" Amai started off sarcastically sweet and ended by attempting to leap at the black haired man. "Lemme guess! You're that idiot Urameshi! Leader of your stupid ninja village! Stop taking your fights to Shino and go find some empty forest to fight in!"

Urameshi shrugged. "This place is right in the middle. It makes perfect sense."

Amai tugged on the ears of the ninja holding her, saying as calmly as possible "Please. Put me. Down."

The ginger muttered a frustrated "Och, aye," before setting her gently on the roof where Urameshi was waiting with his arms crossed. Amai found herself standing awkwardly and not at all threateningly, what with one foot be-sneakered and the other not. Or maybe it was the hot pink crop top. Or that her hair was terribly askew thanks to the wind and the explosion.


	2. A Modicum of Nonsense

**Helloooo! Welcome back for chapter 2 of this strange little ficlet. It will probably only have one or two more parts, depending on how short I write the next part, haha. I wrote the last but of this in my field study so forgive any transgressions gracias 3 **

**This is just silly. Please take it as such, haha**

**ONWARDS**

* * *

**_Last time, on Ninja Nonsense... _  
**

"Who the hell are you?" the guy across the way leapt over the road and landed casually on the rooftop nearest the still-floating ginger. His black hair was awry, what with the battling, but his eyes were focused and determined. "Why're you interrupting our fight?"

"Oh, so sorry to have been getting breakfast when you decided to blow the street up with your fancy ninja fuckery!" Amai started off sarcastically sweet and ended by attempting to leap at the black haired man. "Lemme guess! You're that idiot Urameshi! Leader of your stupid ninja village! Stop taking your fights to Shino and go find some empty forest to fight in!"

Urameshi shrugged. "This place is right in the middle. It makes perfect sense."

Amai tugged on the ears of the ninja holding her, saying as calmly as possible "Please. Put me. Down."

The ginger muttered a frustrated "Och, aye," before setting her gently on the roof where Urameshi was waiting with his arms crossed. Amai found herself standing awkwardly and not at all threateningly, what with one foot be-sneakered and the other not. Or maybe it was the hot pink crop top. Or that her hair was terribly askew thanks to the wind and the explosion...

* * *

She'd never actually spoken to a ninja before. She found she was shuddering in anticipation and slight nervousness. Well, a lot of nervousness. Urameshi jumped in defensively.

"No one's ever complained before, ya know."

Amai gaped and all of her nerves were gone, though she attempted to remain calm. "You guys just come in, destroy the town, and leave! It's not like you sat down and asked us! We didn't have a civilized, normal discussion! So here it is- stop fighting here. People are just trying to live here. We are surrounded by woods on all sides. Please fight there."

Urameshi stared at her while she spoke. It was unnerving, as was the presence standing directly behind her. The ginger behind her spoke.

"Ya know, I never really thought about that." He said, scratching the back of his head. "I have a hard time fightin' in tha woods but-"

"Well, there's one good reason why we can't fight there!" Urameshi pointed energetically. "And- and… the trees! It's really annoying to fight around trees! Right, Jin?"

Amai deduced that the ginger must be Jin. She was pretty sure he wasn't the leader of the Masho ninjas but he must have been the strongest, to be fighting Urameshi.

"Oh my gosh." Amai intoned, quirking an eyebrow. "You're not too bright, are you?"

Urameshi balked before recovering and gesturing angrily at Amai. "Well, you're the one who was just standing there in the middle of my fight!"

"Taking place in the middle of MY village!"

"Och," the ginger –Jin- was rubbing his ears, still red from Amai's savage attack. "We're sorry an' all but it makes sense to us."

"Why are you even fighting?" Amai turned around.

As Jin opened his mouth to reply, Amai was hit by a freezing cold breeze. She shivered, and looked behind Jin to see where the breeze was coming from. It appeared that part of the town had been frozen. Amai saw that some of the streets were covered in ice, and sparkling icicles were hanging from the roofs at severe angles. Amai raced to the edge of the rooftop she was standing on, pointing.

"_That's where I live._" She whirled around, gaping and still pointing. "That's my _house_! My house is frozen!"

Her hands flew to her head as she inwardly freaked out. She peered over the edge of the roof, knowing she couldn't jump it. However, she spotted a fire ladder bolted to the side of the building and ran to it, hopping over the side of the building and quickly climbing down.

"Where're ya going?! We were having a civilized discussion!" Urameshi shouted down to her.

"Sh-shut up! I'm trying not to fall." Amai replied caustically, refusing to look down. "I hate heights, so if I fall I'll kill you."

Urameshi grumbled something about how her falling would not be his fault but Amai didn't hear it for the wind blowing in her ears. Jin was floating just behind her.

"Need some help, lass?"

"N-no! I don't want to be floating or flying or anything. I'll be down in a minute, then I have to check on my house."

"That was prob'ly Touya." Jin said sagely, nodding his head. "Oh, I don' think I ever learnt yer name-"

"It's Amai. Amai Nagori. And now my house is frozen, thanks to your stupid, asinine fight!" she shouted over her shoulder. "So go fight with stupid Urameshi and leave so I can start cleaning my town up!"

Staring diligently at the brick of the tall building, she continued her climb down the fire ladder. Certainly, she did not look down. Falling would be quite terrible, regardless of distance. She heard Jin huff behind her.

"Don' haft a tell me twice, lass!" Jin's voice seemed indignant, but she didn't dare turn around to see his expression.

She did, however, feel the breeze pick up, whooshing back towards the rooftop. Amai reached the bottom soon after, her bare foot slapping on the dirt road.

"Stupid ninja," she muttered, doing a quick search for her shoe.

It was, of course, nowhere to be found.

With an exasperated shout, Amai took off running to her home. What she wasn't expecting was the sound of someone running behind her. She turned to look who it was and nearly stumbled. Stuttering, she said: "W-why are you following me?! Go away! Don't you stupid ninja listen?"

Urameshi shrugged, easily catching up with her. "I wanna see what happened to your house."

"I thought you didn't care what happened in my village?" Amai was deadpan, no longer looking back at him.

He grumbled something to himself and shrugged again.

"'Cause if you want some more people to complain, I bet I could find someone else-"

"Shut up, okay?!"

A shadow passed overhead, and a laugh floated on the wind. Jin had decided to fly with them. Amai found herself wondering why ninjas were granted such abilities- and why all ninjas appeared to be dumb as bricks. If she had these cool powers, she'd totally put them to better use. Except flying- probably she'd just as soon stay on the ground.

By the time they reached her frosted home, Amai's toes were nearly blue. Though it was a bright spring day, it looked like mid-winter on her street.

"Good thing I shut my window," she muttered, keeping her bare foot off the ground.

She turned to Urameshi and Jin (who had touched down next to Urameshi… they sure were chummy for enemies). Both seemed thoughtful.

"Well?" she put her hands on her hips, still balancing on one foot. "Now that you see all the trouble you cause- now what?"

Urameshi clapped his hands together, apparently ignoring her. "What say we call it a draw today?" he directed this to Jin.

Jin nodded. "Alright by me."

"Awesome." Amai found herself grinning. "Go away and talk about never coming back."

"We could do that," Urameshi shrugged before pointing a finger straight towards the sky and letting off a shot of blue light. More ninja nonsense.

Amai blinked and his fellow ninja were there beside him. On the roof of her house were four cloaked figures. In the window of her house, Amai saw her parents starting a fire in their fireplace, and one pudgy face (her little brother, Ichigo) pressed against the frosted glass. She quickly focused her attention once more on the ninja standing around (or on) her house. Urameshi pointed at Amai, and she flinched- was he going to shoot that light at her?

"You get to come with us," he declared.


	3. A Quantity of Nonsense

**Greetings, humans! I guess this is ranging closer to 5 chapters, huh? I'm working on Chapter 4 now, before my semester gets crazy (oh noesss). I am terrible at planning chapters so I guess this is really just them arguing bahaha. What else is new. More action next chapter. I like to write them all interacting haha... enjoy!**

Chapter 3

Amai balked. "Excuse me?!"

Urameshi continued pointed at her but turned to his cohorts. "She's not very fast, so I guess someone should carry her or something."

A scathing voice replied, "And just _why_ are we taking it with us?"

Amai narrowed her eyes at the shortest member. He turned his peculiarly ruby eyes to her own, making her flinch. Though small in stature he obviously held great power and saw normal citizens like herself as useless at best. Amai didn't hear the answer because she'd taken an unsteady step backwards. She didn't like any of these ninja, but those who fought with Urameshi were particularly troubling. The one who fought with plants left behind terrifying creatures – green things that could tear off your arm and spit out your bones.

Another step backwards and she bumped into something. Amai sprung forward, turning to see who she'd hit, hands up in meager defense.

"Pretty small sheila, ain't she?" a very tall man with bright blue hair in a mohawk leaned over her.

It took a moment for those words to be translated into normal English. She clenched her fists and growled at the strange man.

"Yeah? Well you're freakishly tall! And I've never seen you before, who the hell are you?" Amai made a face.

The tall man didn't even flinch. He simply laughed and extended his hand. "Chu. Pleasure, miss."

Amai jumped. She quirked an eyebrow before tentatively shaking his hand, which engulfed hers easily. "Are you sure you're a ninja?"

Suddenly, Jin was beside him and they both were grinning. Amai frowned at the strange brotherly bond they shared. She had never seen the ninja interact like this, except maybe a casual high five after some big explosion.

Well, the blue haired man _was _new, she knew that much. He must have just joined up with Jin's ninja crew, though she wasn't sure how that whole thing worked. Much more enigmatic were the other four ninja staring disapprovingly at Urameshi's crew and occasionally at Amai herself.

"Well, Risho? Whaddya say?" Jin turned to the pale man with cropped black hair and a flat-tipped nose who was standing antagonistically on top of Amai's house. "Should we go an' have ourselves a civilized discussion?"

Amai's eyes traveled across the four ninja on her house: one had icy blue hair and eyes to match (must be the Touya Jin had mentioned earlier), there was the enormous and muscular man who often left the town smelling like a men's locker room, then the flat-tipped nosed one, and finally the one covered in paint who she knew was named Gama. She narrowed her eyes at all of them but none deigned to look at her.

When she turned back to Jin and Chu in front of her, she realized Jin was grinning at her- a look he quickly dropped when she turned her angry stare onto him. She would never understand these insane ninja.

Rishi shook his head, "For what reason? I could level this town with a single thought. Then we wouldn't have to worry about complaining little humans."

Amai opened her mouth to argue, but others began speaking at once.

"I hate to agree with that foolish _ninja _(he said the word with a disdain Amai usually saved for rodents), but why _do_ we have to listen to the human?" the shortest member of Yusuke's team said above the din.

"Because we _live here_, and you can't just destroy our town!" Amai shot back, jumping as the red eyed man turned his startling gaze on her. It was cold despite the fire of his eyes. Something told her that was not a valid argument for him.

"_Everybody shut up!_" Urameshi shouted, startling Amai. The others simply turned to look at him. Urameshi crossed his arms and put his foot down. "I say we go back to our village and talk there. I know talkin's not really what I do best but I have a naggin' feeling that this chick's gonna be a huge pain in the ass if we don't."

"She did throw a water bottle at me leg," Jin added helpfully.

"I was aiming for your face." Amai grumbled, crossing her arms and glaring at Urameshi. "And you're damn right I'll be a pain in the ass! There has to be something else you ninja can do besides destroy our town."

Urameshi gestured at Amai as if to say, 'See? Huge pain in the ass.' To which his teammates simply nodded.

"I always said it wasn't _honorable _to fight here, Urameshi," the ninja Amai knew as Kuwabara remarked rather snidely to his clan leader.

Urameshi just rolled his eyes and turned around. "Walk if you like, annoying girl, but it will take you a week."

"A _week_?" Amai bemoaned, face dropping.

On her house, the Masho Clan were nodding at each other and coming to some sort of conclusion. Jin rolled his eyes at them.

"Come on, lads! If worse comes ta worse, we get ourselves a full view a Urameshi's village!" Jin quirked an eyebrow at his fellow shinobi.

They responded with shrugs and leaped through the trees after the Urameshi crew. Jin and Chu began walking after them, motioning for Amai to follow. She tripped after them, running to catch up with a frown.

"I'm not going if it'll take a week to get there." She told them, nodding her head for emphasis.

"Doncha worry, lass," Jin replied lightly, stooping to scoop his arm around Amai's waist. "It won' take much longer than… oh, ten minutes, say?"

"Aye, ten minutes sounds right." Chu nodded in agreement. "Hang on tight, sheila!"

Amai, who was busy smacking Jin's too-casual hand looped around her waist, looked up at Chu with wide eyes. She was too busy being nervous to be ashamed about the squeak in her voice. "Tight to _what_?!"

And they were off.


	4. A Scrap of Nonsense

**Another quick in between chapter, thanks for your patience, guys! Guess what. This is the second to last chapter. Chapter 5 will be the last chapter! I already have it written so I'll post it tomorrow, I think. Probably. Maybe. No promises.**

**Anyway, I hope everyone's school year or w/e is going well. I recently have been a bit under the weather which means more time to write but more ranty/rambly writing, haha, so forgive me if I'm a bit chatty with my writing in these next chapters.**

**ANYWAY x2 : SUPER THANKS TO MY REVIEWERS AND FOLLOWERS! Especially, Wandrian! Your review was just so sweet and I showed it to like six of my friends, haha. To those who favorited and follow this strange saga, thank you also! Specifically, EgyptianAssassin, Fallen-Autumn-Leaves, Lady Amazon, blackbeltgirl59, and soul painter!**

**You guys rock. Hard core. See you all for the next chapter! EEKS! Count dooowwwnn :) **

Chapter 4

Amai was curled tightly in a ball, hands clasped to Jin's black cloak. She'd already tired herself out from screeching and yelling at Jin. Now she was a lump of terror, her worst fears realized. Though her eyes were squished tight, the wind rushed through her hair and lifted her shirt, tickling her stomach. Her bare foot was cold but not terribly so.

The ten minutes felt rather like an eternity, flying above trees and lakes and other, tinier villages. Amai occasionally found the energy to curse wildly to herself but mostly kept quiet for the last half of their trip. Her face was still pretty windburned, she noticed, despite having ducked her head most of the journey.

Her ears popped as they began their descent. Amai growled and covered her ears with her hands. Peeking an eye open, she saw the ground coming up fast and felt nauseous. She quickly closed her eyes again and eagerly awaited solid ground.

They landed lightly, so much so that Amai had to open her eyes to double check. The wind had stopped whistling through her ears, and her hair was falling into her face. She looked like a maniac. Jin must have looked down at her because he began to laugh raucously.

Amai pushed some of the hair off her face and wriggled angrily (as angry and threatening as a wiggle may be).

"Put me down," she demanded with a less-than-menacing squeak, her voice raw from screeching the first half of the flight.

Jin set her on her feet, which were awkward and heavy and cold. Amai stood as still as possible knowing a single step would have her tumbling in a mess of limbs. She bit her lip and stared at her one bare foot angrily.

"That," she started in a scathing tone, "was the worst experience of my life. Never EVER am I doing that ever again."

She took a wobbly step forward, testing out her rubbery legs. Amai sent an evil look in Jin's direction, though he was studiously ignoring her. Grumbling and stumbling, she began walking forward, leading though she didn't know where she was going. Jin easily caught up with her, loping languidly at her side.

They came upon the outskirts of the village. Amai's eyes widened as she took it all in. She was shocked at the similarities between the Urameshii village and her own town of Shino. She didn't even notice that her legs had acclimated, or that she still walked with a one-shoed limp.

The homes were small and close together, with a few other buildings spread about through the large clearing. There was a path through the trees opposite Amai that seemed to lead to another clearing.

"Thas the trainin' ground," Jin said, following her look and pointing. "We have one, too."

"It's huge," Amai couldn't help but be awed. "I mean the training ground must be as big as my whole village!"

Jin was grinning at her when she turned to look at him. A small smile of her own escaped, though she quickly replaced it with a grimace as he excitedly pointed at her face.

"There! Ya do smile! An' here I was, thinkin' you couldna do it!"

Amai rolled her eyes and walked a bit quicker ahead of him, "Hurry up, stupid ninja. Let's get this over with."

"Aye aye, cap'n Amai." She heard his chuckle behind her.

Amazing, how her name on his foolishly accented tongue could cause a pink blush to spread across her face, highlighting her windburn wonderfully. She muttered all the way to the village entrance about stupid sassy ninja.

The entrance of the village was merely two tall towers that stretched above the trees, manned by a teen not much younger than Amai and an old lady. While Amai was gazing upward, two more teens stepped from behind the towers. One had glasses and curly dark hair while the other was tall with equally heightened blue hair. The other teen from the tower leaped down, landing with ease beside the other two.

The bespectacled one straightened his glasses and narrowed his eyes at Amai. "Are you new to the Masho Clan? I don't have you in my files."

"Files?" Amai raised her eyebrows. "I don't see any files. So, how do you know?"

"Kaito's got mental files," the blue haired boy answered, tapping his finger against his temple. "So, are you?"

Amai shook her head, then realized how hectic her hair still was and began to rearrange it into a high bun. "No. Just a regular person. I live in Shino, the village where all you ninja nimrods do battle."

The three exchanged a look and Amai found herself once more ignoring Jin's laughter behind her. He placed his hand on the back of her head and lightly pushed down, making her bow slightly.

"Jus' intraduce yerself all polite-like, lass," he said between his cheerful rictus.

Amai shook his hand off of her head and grumbled a greeting. "Amai Nagori."

A strange clicking noise was emitted from the boy with glasses. Amai stared open-mouthed at him. The blue haired boy responded to her look.

"That's just his brain." He nodded to Amai. "I'm Yanagisawa. That's Kaito, and the blonde is Kido. Sensei Genkai is the one still in the tower."

Amai tilted her head back and looked up the tower once more. She leaned toward Jin and whispered conspiratorially, "Maybe she can't come down. How did she get up there, anyway?"

Jin simply smiled knowingly as the old woman materialized in front of Amai, who jumped back quite a bit. She swallowed the panicked shout of 'oh my gosh!' and managed to bow hastily without any prompting from Jin. This woman was obviously very strong and amazing for all that she was old.

Amai's name came out as one jumbled-together word to which the woman, Genkai, replied with an unimpressed huff. Amai peeked from beneath her wayward bangs and frowned. She hadn't expected people like this in a ninja village, though she should have. People that weren't what they seemed, people with extraordinary powers – that's what ninja were. Yet the two teams that were constantly fighting in Shino seemed so different from these teens and the superhero grandmother in front of her.

"The others have already arrived." Genkai said, turning and walking away from them all. She spoke in an annoyed voice. "Follow me."

Exchanging a look with Jin, who was still laughing at Amai's meek introduction. Grumbling, she grabbed his arm and pulled him after her.

"I'm gonna beat the crap out of you if you just keep laughing at me," she threatened as she followed Genkai.

Jin managed to stymie his laughter as they walked. Amai used the time to look around the village. There were small homes scattered around, and people going about their day. Amai's eyes were wide as she observed it all – a pair of twins following their mother and father, all carrying groceries; two giggling teenage girls walking down the street… Amai's brain couldn't contain it all. It looked a little like … like her own town, like Shino.

"Why d'ya look so surprised, there?" Jin walked in bent forward and peeked into her face. "Not whatcha were expectin' ?"

Amai shook her head and whispered to him: "I sorta thought there'd be like, a bunch of scary ninja all training and lifting weights and blowing things up."

He laughed again and Amai laughed a little too. It seemed a little ridiculous when she said it out loud and saw the somewhat normal village around her. Genkai turned around and narrowed her eyes at the two of them trailing behind her. Amai had the feeling that she was being assessed, and wasn't quite up to muster.

Genkai only snorted and said, "What the hell happed to your other shoe?"

Suddenly Jin was off in more peals of laughter, making Amai wonder if he was ever serious. Amai merely rolled her eyes and followed Genkai onto the training grounds, where the others were all standing around and waiting.

"It's a long story," Amai muttered.


	5. Immeasurable Nonsense

**Holy cow you guys. This is 6k words. And I hate to do this to you.. but this is our last chapter here with the ninjas. It is not, however, the last of my fanficking. I'll have you know that I've started student teaching, I'm barely doing any work but that's bad because that means I'm behind. I'm stressed to the nth degree and dealing with a lot of things, so I'm really sorry if it seems like I abandon y'all! I promise I'm not :) I'll be posting other things soon (hopefully, I'll be doing the actual fanfiction of Jin and Amai - like chronologically how they met and stuff). If I may direct you all to "Shenanigans" in the meantime, soonish to be updated also.**

**Special thanks to everyone who reviews and follows this story! A shout out to mah homies and reviewers of the last chapter - LadyAmazon and middlekertz. I love you guys. And Wandrian, I reread your comment all the time because it is so sweet.**

**I do love comments/reviews or whatever. But I'm just happy you're reading this thing because it started as kind of a joke. A silly one-shot about Jin as more of a Naruto-esque ninja. Turned into 5 chapters haha. You guys are awesome, anyway, and I wanted to say thank you.**

**Ruv u ;) 3 **

Chapter 5

Urameshi broke from his group of ninja, hands on his hips, and stomped over to Amai and Jin. "It took ya long enough,"

Amai deemed his comment worthy of a stink eye. She crossed her arms as she mirrored his walk. Jin floated over to where his clan was speaking in low tones. She could see Chu, standing a solid foot above most of the others.

"What have you done now, Yusuke?" Genaki asked in a serious tone, staring holes in the back of Urameshi's head.

He turned nervously, "Uh, nothing Gramma, don't even worry about it."

Amai threw her hands up in frustration, "Nothing? Destroying my town is nothing? I'm getting tired of explaining this to you ninja."

Urameshi sent her a warning look as Genkai quirked an eyebrow. For all that Urameshi seemed to be in charge when they were wrecking havoc through Shino, Amai wondered if Genkai was truly the clan leader and Urameshi the wayward apprentice.

"Can I just state my case already?" Amai stepped forward, avoiding eye contact with most of the ninja and instead staring at her pink toenails. "I really want to figure something out. To be honest, you lot are really different than how I imagined and I think we can compromise."

The ninja were all listening to her now, which was rather terrifying. She could feel the slight burn of the ruby eyed man's gaze, like a child with a magnifying glass burning spots on her skin. A breeze teased her hair and Amai took a deep breath.

"You said you didn't want to fight in the trees because that was too difficult for you. I don't want you fighting in my town because it's dangerous for us regular people and we are losing the will to rebuild. So, I don't know why you're fighting but you either gotta kiss and make up or find another way to sort this all out." Amai bit her lip and spread her hands.

The ninja laughed, Urameshi especially. Amai turned red in embarrassment, clenching her fists and frowning deeply.

"Well, _I_ don't think it's stupid." She grumbled.

"You wanna know _why _we're fighting?" Urameshi asked between laughter. He shook his head. "We just wanna see who's stronger."

Amai looked around at the other ninja, staring at them with her mouth wide open.

"Oh my gosh," she murmured, in complete awe. "Oh my _gosh_. You are all so _stupid_."

She burst into laughter, holding her stomach and tears springing to her eyes. Seriously. Boys were boys, regardless of what stupid powers they had. When she looked up again, wiping her eyes, the other ninja didn't look ecstatic at her assessment.

"Why do you have to fight every week to figure out who's stronger?" she asked. "My dad told me that in bigger cities, they have big events to see who's better at sports and stuff. That's why I'm training for, someday. Those happen, like, once a year. Why can't you just do some big fight once a year?"

Here, Amai spread her arms wide, gesturing to the huge, flat training grounds they were standing in. "You already have a huge place to fight, so just take turns fighting here. Jin said you-all have one in your village, too (she nodded to the Masho clan). I mean, maybe you've already tried that but it could totally work."

Shrugging, Amai watched the ninja carefully. It was such an easy idea, they had probably already thought of it.

"Ya know, we've never tried that before," Jin crossed his arms and looked at his clan.

"So, like a tournament." Urameshi said, scratching the back of his head. "And the winner would be the strongest ninja."

Amai pointed at Urameshi ecstatically. "Yes! Exactly. And you could take turns doing it at the different villages. Train in between the tournaments, take turns fighting different people, and leave my village alone! It all works out, right?"

The ninja talked amongst themselves and Amai looked between the two groups, nodding her head.

"So it's settled then! You can organize a tournament between the two ninja villages." She stuck her hands in her pockets and proudly looked on.

"Well, I like it!" the orange haired man on Urameshi's team declared. "One on one battles, crowds of pretty ladies cheering us on! Sounds very manly, to me."

"What do we win," The blue haired one, Touya, spoke, startling Amai. "If we win the tournament. To say I am the strongest isn't enough for me. What do we win."

Amai shrugged. "I dunno, what do you want to win? A medal? A certificate? The chance to rebuild my village?"

"Ah, Touya! Ya gotta win first, before ya start worryin' about watcha get fer winnin'!" Jin slung his arm around Touya's shoulders.

"Well, I don' know about you lot, but after a fight I find meself wanting a great amount of food. Whaddya think, sheila? A feast for the victors, eh?" Chu remarked to Amai, who nodded in reply.

"A feast, yes! And both villages could cook, and that way everyone wins!" Amai clapped her hands together.

It seemed like they were really going to go for it. Amai was suddenly glad they had forced her to follow them, if it meant she could help her village in this way. They could rebuild the school, unfreeze her house, build a new playground, and live in peace! Amai peeked over at Jin, who spoke animatedly with his clan. Maybe they could build a peace between the regular humans and the ninja as well.

Amai jumped when Jin looked over at her, grinning exuberantly. He hopped over to her and spun her around in a circle. When she tripped over her own feet, she found herself floating the tiniest bit off the ground.

When she was finally placed back on her feet, Urameshi and his clan was walking towards her. Genkai stood in line with him as he stepped forward, his hand extended.

"The old bat thinks I oughta say thank you," he said ungraciously, a wicked pout on his face. "So thanks, I guess."

Amai slapped her hand in his and shook it. For all that he was a pain in the ass, he seemed a decent guy.

"You're welcome, I guess." She grinned. He matched it with his own wild smile. "I can go home now, right? I've got to defrost my windows."

Urameshi nodded and Jin laughed. "All aboard flight 002 to Shino!" he cried.

"Actually, I'd like to walk a ways. Take a break from flying." Her legs were jello just thinking about flying. She decided to be polite and bowed a little at the ninja, "Thank you. I hope that all our villages can be peaceful and solve our problems like this, if it comes up again. So, yes. Thank you. And see you all later, I suppose."

Some of the ninja returned her bow, others waved lightly and a few others ignored her completely. She didn't let it bother her. They either would learn to like her or they wouldn't. Either way it wasn't very important. However, Amai knew this wasn't the last she would be seeing them, not if she was going to make sure this whole thing worked out.

She turned and walked out the way she came, Jin chattering at her side. They walked through the towers and waved to the three ninja guarding the village there. Amai turned back to see the Masho clan leaving through the trees opposite her and the Urameshi ninja filtering through the village. A tall brown haired man with what seemed to be a pacifier was now speaking to Yusuke Urameshi, and a few girls bounced over to the crowd, one a brunette and one with light blue hair. Ninja sure did seem to have strange colored hair.

"Yer gonna hafta come to the first tournament. It was yer own idea, after all!" Jin said as they walked through the woods they had previously flown over.

Amai snorted. "Only if I get to sit in a golden throne with lots of cake and a handsome person to pour me glasses of wine."

"Unfortunately, I'll be fightin' so I can't be pourin' you drinks." He winked.

They walked in silence a while before Amai found herself grinning. "I can't wait to tell everyone we solved this, we fixed this. We can rebuild our town, and have pride in where we live. And I can start training for my own tournament, though it won't be martial arts."

"Jus' so long as Ah see ya again, I suppose." Jin said candidly.

Amai was startled, looking over at him with a light blush. "I'm just a regular human, not very interesting or anything."

Jin seemed to think about this for a moment. "Yer anythin' but regular, Ah think. And Ah'm a fair judge of people. The wind knows,"

"Oh," Amai replied, kicking rocks aside with her be-sneakered toe. "Well, I guess I wouldn't mind seeing you again too. You can help rebuild the park, or I can try and bake something for the feast, though I'm not very good at cooking."

She was rambling and she knew it, but that was okay. Jin smiled at her and she returned the look.

"Ya know, ya really should smile more," he intoned seriously before picking her up and jumping so that he was just a little above the tree tops. "Anyway, walkin' is too slow so Ah think it's best if we start flyin' now,"

Amai groaned and maneuvered herself onto his back, looping her arms tightly around his neck. "This spider monkey is ready. Let's go to Shino."

Jin took off like a rocket, but Amai wasn't scared. She hid her face in the back of his neck and let the wind whistle a merry tune through her ears. She'd saved her village and made a friend or two along the way. She was not one for glory and fame, but maybe her parents would let her stay out past midnight, now.

Amai smiled into the wind.

_**The end.**_

_**Thanks again, see you all real soon! **_


	6. A Peroration of Nonsense

**Darnit it all! Someone said I should continue this and I had the idea for an epilogue anyway so instead of doing any of my schoolwork or focusing on my current life issues, I'm posting part one of ...threee? fooourrr? numberrrss? of my epilogue, anyway. As you will shortly notice, this epilogue takes place 5 years after the last chapter. Much has happened. :) **

**Thanks to my reviewers LadyAmazon and ShieskaClow (- yes, lassie, it's all your fault I'm doing this! haha)**

**Thanks to my story followers; CrazyCreator33 and middlekertz**

**PS: This says 350 people have looked at my story SO REVIEW IT PLEASE. I love getting feedback, like so much, and it makes me write a lot faster ;) **

**Anyway, I hope you enjoy! Don't worry, a bit of blushy mush in the next chapter (I'll post that relatively soon, once my unit for school is done and my lesson plans for W/R/F are done. And my Pop's wake and funeral. Rough week, guys).**

**Enjoy my fanfiction, though :) You da best ;)**

Epilogue:

_5 Years Later…_

Amai Nagori was surrounded by the people she loved. Her team lifted her up on their shoulders as the crowd screamed and her family rushed the field (as did her team's families). Amai shouted her victory.

The country's annual Olympics had started a week ago and Amai's girl's football team had reigned, winning all the games, save one (it had been overtime, ok?). She grinned into the sunlight, her eyes catching a flash of red among the clouds. Her heart skipped but she ignored it, telling herself it was probably a balloon.

Cameras flashed and the crowd still cheered, and Amai's face hurt from grinning so hard. Though it took some time to get the other teams on the field and organize them, the judges came with medals and the top three teams stood on platforms. However long it really was it passed in a mere moment in Amai's eyes. One minute, she was kicking the winning penalty shot, the next she was on the First Place platform, awaiting a heavy medal.

Sweat dripped from her nose as she bowed her head to accept the gold medal, her teammates lined beside her. More cheering as everyone received their medals, the team lifted their arms in unison and took a bow, then exploded into hugs and wild back pats and jumping.

And that's how Amai fell off the low-rise platform.

… -

"You're not _walking _there, are you?" Amai's flat mate asked (they also happened to be on the soccer team together).

Amai glared at her friend, who smiled sheepishly. They were back in Shino, visiting Amai's family during their summer break from University. Standing in front of her pristinely painted home, Amai waggled her partially bare foot at her friend. Her foot was wrapped up tight in a hideous cast her flat mates had painted gold while she was asleep. Her toes peeked through, also painted a shiny gold (also courtesy of her mates).

It had been a week since winning the nationwide Olympics with her team. After going to the hospital to get her foot fixed up, they stayed and partied in the nation's capital, many miles away from quaint little Shino. She was glad to be spending the summer back in her hometown, however. Come Fall, she'd be back at the university, up near the capital. A good 4 days ride in her parent's beat up jalopy.

"My brother's taking me," Amai grumbled, shouldering her backpack and waving a crutch threateningly at her friend. "And don't you say nothin' about how stupid it's gonna look."

And she did look a sight when, 30 minutes later, she was tightly clutching her brother's motorcycle jacket, one leg sticking in a terrifying and probably dangerous manner. Her now bedazzled cast (thanks to her two younger siblings – a goodbye gift) hung off the motorcycle awkwardly and her backpack was too heavy. Uncomfortable didn't begin to cover it.

Amai had left her friend in the comfort of Shino. She'd told her that during their break she'd have to take off for a few days for a … tradition. Amai hadn't explained further but the rest of her family had been more than willing to fill in the gaps. By the time they got back to university, everyone on the team would know that she associated with… _ninja_. Amai had told her friend that the ninja she hung out with were cool, but to say that the 'tradition' was an experience was a severe understatement. She wasn't surprised when her flat mate politely declined the option, instead saying she'd visit her cousins in Shino.

After a few hours on the back of the motorcycle, Amai's butt was numb and her leg was stiff. She was about to pat her brother's shoulder and ask for a break to stretch her cramping limbs, but they began passing a few other people on the road and Amai realized they must be close. Leaning her face into the back of her brother's jacket, Amai hid her excited grin.

When they arrived at the entrance of the village, Amai's older brother (his name is Atsushi, by the way) slowed to a halt and kicked the bike's kickstand into place. He slid off the bike, keeping an arm on Amai's shoulder so she wouldn't fall off.

Her crutches had been haphazardly duct taped to the side of the bike (to Atsushi's chagrin) and Atsushi now removed them for her. Holding them with his free arm he helped her off the bike. Still a little off-kilter thanks to her heavy backpack and extra heavy casted foot, Amai gratefully accepted her crutches, grinning at her brother.

"So," Amai nudged her brother's shin with her crutch. "You sure you don't wanna stay?"

Atsushi shook his head and rolled his eyes. "You're the only regular person crazy enough to keep coming back to this terrifying place… and now I sound like a bad brother for leaving you here in this nest of wild ninja."

Amai shrugged, peeking around her at the strange folk meandering through the Reiki Tantei's main gates. Things had changed since her first time at this ninja village. She'd finally learned that Urameshi was not, in fact, the leader of the village but instead of his own team of ninja. The village was also no longer much of a village. It had grown a substantial amount, and Amai had watched it grow. She'd been attending the tournaments since they'd begun, after all.

"Hey," her brother pat her head, with a grin. "We're all really proud of you, you know?"

He began ruffling her hair, making her laugh. She knocked his shin with her crutch again. She mumbled her assent.

"Have fun!" Atsushi boarded his bike and kickstarted it. He rode off, the bike kicking up dust behind him.

Amai waved a little forlornly. She actually liked coming to the tournaments, though not to see the fighting. She loved seeing the friends she'd made – ah, here they came now.

"Hey, Ai-chan!" Botan waved wildly and grinned. She was tailed by two other girls; Keiko and Yukina. "Well, look at you! All broken up and nowhere to go!"

Amai laughed, "Tactful as always, Botan."

Botan latched on to Amai, hugging her tightly. Then she stepped aside and let Keiko and Yukina have their turns hugging Amai. Keiko offered to take Amai's backpack, but Amai was adamant that she carry it herself. They chatted their way into the village, passing through the amazingly tall gates that were now much showier than before. The two towers remained the same, although bulked up a bit and more clean looking. Walking through with these girls clustered around her, no one dared give her any trouble.

The clan's grounds were pristine and full of ninja, some of them familiar to Amai but most of them were new faces. Word of the tournament had gotten around to other ninja clans from around the nations and suddenly, everyone wanted to be in the tournament. Amai's idea was a hit. She was still amazed no one had thought of it before.

Most of the ninja were heading towards the training grounds, which could more accurately be called a stadium now. There were tall stands set up for all the incoming guest ninja, and the training grounds themselves had been turned into a true battle ring. Some sort of cement stage was in the middle of the stands, there was a newly installed first aid tent in an alcove by the entrance, and concession stands outside the stadium. It smelled amazing, and Amai grinned as she maneuvered among the ninja after her friends.

Amai took some time at Keiko's apartment to drop off her stuff and clean herself up some. The jeans she had worn on the ride over were covered in dirt and her hair was a huge mess. She managed to change into some cute jean shorts (a dark blue color with a tiny bow pattern), and a loose lilac tanktop with a neon pink cami underneath it (it seemed traditional to wear something neon). Also for the sake of tradition, Amai had worn her infamous sneaker. It seemed fitting since she never found its match and she wouldn't need to wear two shoes for another few weeks. With a freshly cleaned face and brushed hair, Amai managed to get her wavy hair into a cute, very high ponytail. She didn't bother putting on much makeup, only a quick go-over with her brush-on foundation and some brown eyeliner. She received the thumbs up from her ladies and they began their trek to the stadium.

"Looks like we still have some time before the first round," Botan checked her watch and shrugged to her companions. "We can hit up the food stand or try and find our boys?"

Amai loved how she said 'our boys' and grinned her assent. It was amazing how fond of everyone she'd become since her first trip to the village. She'd known there were ninja all over the country but had no idea how many there were- she also had no idea how many different type of ninja there were. Some of them could pass as regular humans. Many of them made Amai look away nervously. It wasn't that they didn't look human but that they gave off this… vibe or bloodlust or something. She gave them a good amount of distance.

Not that anything could really happen during the tournaments. It was a time of peace between the ninja and there was to be no fighting outside of the stadium's stage. For that, Amai was very grateful (especially this year).

She hobbled after the others all the way to the host's training room, where the boys would be preparing for their fifth tournament. Though they began as teams, the fights were all one-on-one and by the halfway point it was every man for himself. It wasn't exactly how she had originally set it out to be, but the tournament had evolved since the original squabble.

"So did your friend decide to stay home?" Keiko asked, a slightly defensive look on her face.

Amai nodded apologetically, "She said she might come for one of the days, if our captain comes with her. I guess being around all these ninja makes her nervous."

"Made you nervous at first, too," Botan reminded her with a sly smile.

Shrugging, Amai blushed, "Well sure. It's not like I'd actually met a ninja. They just waltzed into my town, blew up the library, and left. Not exactly a good first impression."

They laughed, and Amai was able to laugh as well. She held no grudges- after all, some of the ninja had actually come back to help rebuild some of the town. The townsfolk of Shino were still wary of the ninja but a metaphorical bridge was being built, and Amai was proud to have laid the cornerstone.

The first person they saw as the rounded the corner (they were below the stadium stands at this point, where all the teams' preparation rooms were) was Genkai. After a quick look at Amai, the old woman grimaced.

"What the hell happened to your leg?" the old woman inquired in a rather scathing tone.

Amai rolled her eyes and gritted her teeth, "That sounds eerily familiar."

But for the sake of being polite, she managed to tell Genkai it was a soccer accident (mostly true). The old woman peered at the leg rather judgmentally (Amai found herself mentally defending the fact that she wasn't a ninja and was therefore relatively delicate) before turning on her heel and heading into the room. The girls followed.


	7. A Parting Glass of Nonsense

**Hello again! Welcome to the fic that simply will not end, haha. Thanks, mostly, to you guys who asked for more! Also thanks to those who follow and review! :) **

**Before I thank y'all this chapter title comes from an amazeballs song called "The Parting Glass" by The Wailin Jennys (as heard on The Walking Dead).**

**Thanks to my reviewers, CrazyCreator33 (the party begins now! and to be honest, I started this story as sort of a joke that popped into my head. it was only supposed to be like three chapters of nonsense but it's turned into a lot of fun to write haha)**

**and middlekertz (we aim to please here, friend (; !)**

**Mi-chan1991 and wolveyknight - a special thanks to you too for the follows/favorites :)**

** ANYWAYYYYY I love the reviews and follows you guys are great! I super appreciate the reviews! Please keep on doing that, even just to say "good chapter write more" or "omgsh hey how are ya" or "woah today I had clam chowda boston yahd" or something haha. Anyway, you're all great and I appreciate it :) Thanks!**

**Enjoy the show :D**

The Urameshi ninja were all sitting around the room, wrapping up their fists in tape or tying one last knot around their shoes. Some, such as Hiei and Kurama, were leaning against the wall and observing. Amai didn't see Yanagisawa, Kido, or Kaito, though she knew they were still on the outskirts of the village for security. Kuwabara was already pumped up but his excitement went through the roof as he saw Yukina cross the threshold. Amai laughed as he rushed over to her. Of all the ninja, Kuwabara was the most human and Amai truly enjoyed spending time with him. For all he seemed goofy, he was extremely thoughtful and surprisingly gentle (he had a fondness for, of all things, cats).

Keiko went over to speak with Yusuke, bickered after a moment before Yusuke began laughing and Keiko blushingly crossed her arms with a pout. Everything was as usual.

Amai held back around the exit, observing. Though she knew the members of the team (after five years she ought to) she wasn't particularly close to any of them. Botan casually hung back with Amai, chatting with her about school and soccer.

An announcement over the loudspeaker (a recent addition) declared that the initiating ceremonies would begin soon. Botan smiled apologetically at Amai.

"Sorry we didn't get to visit your boy," she murmured, slinging an arm around her shoulders for a brief hug.

"Thas' ok," Amai laughed, hiding her minor disappointment. "I don't exactly get along well with all of them. Besides, I don't wanna distract him or anything."

Botan rolled his eyes. "Please, he always fights better when you're here. I think he likes showing off just as much as he actually likes to fight."

Cheeks stained crimson, Amai shrugged Botan's arm from her shoulder and crutched away without waiting for the others. Botan wasn't affronted, however, and instead giggled before shouting 'good luck' and 'see you later' at the team before chasing Amai (a rather easy feat) down the hall. Keiko and Yukina soon caught up as well, having said their own farewells. Keiko was flushed and Yukina simply smiled delicately.

They made their way to the stands, pushing through many groups of ninja in order to get to their seats right behind their team's entrance point. Although Keiko carried the curious creature called Puu (who had protected them countless times from varied explosions and other mysterious ninja powers), it was deemed safer to sit behind where their team would be waiting their turn to fight. Amai didn't mind- there hadn't been any particularly dangerous occurrences since the third tournament, when they'd all had to get a bit bandaged up after someone destroyed the stone stage. Amai had a row with her parents about returning the year after that.

Amai hopped up the steps and shuffled sideways like a crab until she reached her desired seat. Keiko sat on one side and Botan on the other. Yukina took the seat on the other side of Keiko. Amai was not unaware of the fact that the two ninja were flanking the two humans (well, Keiko _was_ a human for all that she rolled with the ninja). Leaning her crutches on the ground and stretching her feet out in front of her, Amai relaxed as they waited for the ceremonies to start.

She had just begun to doze off when the celebration started with a bang- a literal explosion of fireworks in the middle of the field. Those participating in the tournament exited from their team rooms beneath the stadium. Amai's bones vibrated with the cheering- it was louder than she remembered, more excited. She found herself grinning and clapping along with the crowd.

The Urameshi team hit the field last, rushing to center stage. Yusuke held a microphone in his hand and waved for people to quiet down. Amai took the time to look around at the competitors, searching for another ninja she knew.

"Alright, alright," Yusuke was saying, still waving his hands. "I know we're all pretty excited. Listen, I'm not very good at this shit so lemme talk and get it over with so we can start with the exciting stuff."

Amai could almost _feel_ Keiko roll her eyes, the gesture was so exaggerated and expected. Botan giggled some. Amai leaned over the railing a little, wondering if the person she sought was directly below her, where Urameshi's team would be sitting shortly.

Yusuke had begun his talk when a gush of wind made Amai close her eyes, her bangs flying in all directions.

"Well, there ya are!" she heard and her eyes popped open excitedly. "Ah been lookin' everywhere for ya!"

Jin had whooshed up from below and was floating gently above the railing, his hands latched onto the metal rails between Amai's. He was grinning directly in her face, the rest of him floating quite a few feet off the ground. After five years, it still disoriented her that ninja could do such things. She found herself, however, grinning exuberantly at Jin.

"What the hell happened to ya!" he exclaimed floating back some to peek at her hideous boot. "Yer all broken up!"

"Har har, just my ankle thank you." Amai crossed her arms and leaned back, pouting.

"Hey Jin! Do you freaking mind? I'm giving a speech over here!" Yusuke shouted into the microphone, waving his fist angrily at Jin, who simply glowered in Urameshi's direction.

"Hush yerself now, Urameshi! Ye got yerself a kiss from yer lass already, an' I wan' one from _mine_!" Jin pouted in a manner to match Amai's.

Amai's face, however, had contorted in sheer embarrassment. "You can't just go around shouting that, stupid! Like I'd give _you_ a kiss, anyway!"

Jin laughed, "Ye already have, lotsa times, I was jus' lookin' fer another. Fer good luck an' such, o' course!"

Growling, Amai sunk lower in her seat. "Boooo, you just wanna show off to all your ninja buddies."

He shrugged. "Sure, some. But mostly Ah just havna seen ya in a good long while! So come on, ya prude, jus' a little one!"

Botan pushed on Amai's back, making her lean forward. She was now face to face with Jin once more, his grin shining like a star as Amai continued to glower, a metaphorical rain cloud. Still pouting, she ignored her friends sitting next to her (and Yusuke's continued muttering into the microphone), closed her eyes and leaned forward.

To be honest, her face was quite comical- a little squished looking with her eyes shut tight and her lips puckered, and more than a little put-out looking. Jin couldn't help a chuckle as he met her lips with his over the railing, mouth forming a smile that made her begin smiling as well. Amai drew back, a rather pleased/smug look on her face.

Jin whooped and punched a fist into the air, "Try an' beat me now!"

Amai rolled her eyes and he flew back over to his teammates (who had evolved into the ninja known as Chu, Rinku, Touya, Suzuka, and Shishiwakamaru). Her face was pink to the point of appearing slightly sunburnt – not her best tone. Botan slapped her shoulder giddily. Amai couldn't face the others, she rubbed her cheeks and crossed her arms, determinedly looking forward.

"Are you quite finished, you Irish bastard?" Yusuke asked crossly.

Jin appeared to think for a moment before laughing and nodding. "Ah think Ah'm fine for the moment, Urameshi. Ah'll have ta sneak another when yer concentratin' elsewhere."

Ignoring this, Yusuke continued. "Anyway, this is our Fifth Annual Ninja Tournament and we'd like to send a quick shout out to our original competitors (much cheering from the crowds and a few ninja, including Jin, raised their arms in recognition) and I guess we gotta thank Amai Nagori as usual."

"Don't have to be a bitch about it," Amai muttered before waving her much-practiced and slightly sarcastic princess wave.

"I have ninja hearing, you know!" Urameshi shouted into the microphone.

She continued waving, wondering where the handsome men with wine were. Though she'd demanded them when she had the idea of the tournament, they had never been supplied. She began to pout once more as Yusuke continued with is speech making (which was neatly summed up with "Let's kick some ass!" and many cheers).

The tournament had begun.


End file.
